"If there is no prospect, no reasonable prospect, of ever securing a conviction, a charge should be withdrawn, so that's what they did," said Don Tait, Jovanovski's attorney.

"I would have to say relief is the emotion I am most feeling right now," Jovanovski said. "While I know I was innocent of the charges, until I got the news this morning that the charges were being thrown out, you never know what might happen.

"There's no doubt I hope I never again have to go through the stress I have experienced in the past six months."

Jovanovski, 19, was charged with sexual assault in February after a 24-year-old Windsor woman filed a complaint.

She and Jovanovski had met in a Windsor bar and then went to her apartment. Jovanovski had always maintained they had consensual sexual intercourse, but she filed charges against Jovanovski, Bill Bowler and Corey Evans, Jovanov-ski's teammates with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League.

Tait said the woman contradicted herself several times at a preliminary inquiry months ago, and two of her friends testified that she had repeatedly lied.

"They were in this tiny little apartment when all this was going on and I cross-examined both of them and they both indicated as far as they were concerned everything she was doing was consensual," Tait said.

Based on that hearing, Tait said, prosecutor Denis Harrison decided against taking the case to court. A trial date would have been set Friday. Harrison, on vacation, could not be reached for comment.

"Ed said all along he was innocent and the facts have proven that out," Panthers President Bill Torrey said.

Jovanovski's arrest made headlines in two countries and was big news in his hometown of Windsor. Reporters even gathered at his home early one morning, arriving before police did to arrest him.

Canadian law prohibits the police and attorneys from commenting on who has been arrested or charged with a crime, but Jovanovski's case drew so much attention, the Windsor police released a statement confirming Jovanovski's arrest and the charges against him.

Jovanovski took part in the Panthers' conditioning camp earlier this week but missed the last two days when he returned for the court hearing. The No. 1 pick of the 1994 draft, Jovanovski in mid-June signed a four-year, $5.7 million contract. Negotiations dragged on, and then Jovanovski changed agents, hiring Pat Morris and Don Meehan and firing Anton Thun about a week before the sexual assault charges were filed.

Negotiations were complicated after that because the Panthers needed a clause in the contract protecting them in case Jovanovski was convicted and had to serve a jail term.

A physical player, Jovanovski (6 feet 2, 205 pounds) is expected to help the Panthers' offense from the blue line. He had 23 goals and 42 assists in 50 games for the Spitfires. Jovanovski also played for the gold-medal winning Canadian team at last year's World Junior Championships.